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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25620547">Touch-Starved</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/isiac/pseuds/isiac'>isiac</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Senior Year: A Zukka College AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Appa Is a Guide Dog, Arguing, Awkward Conversations, Banter, Drunkenness, Existential Crisis, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Fraternities &amp; Sororities, Gay Panic, Light Angst, M/M, Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Recreational Drug Use, Regret, Resolved Argument, Smooth Sokka, Touch-Starved Zuko, Touching, Trans Zuko (Avatar), frat party, stubborn zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:55:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25620547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/isiac/pseuds/isiac</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko knows he’s been touch-starved, and he’s always thought of it as a running, dark joke, but now that he knows what he’s been missing out on . . ?</p><p>It makes his chest ache with want.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Senior Year: A Zukka College AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832131</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>669</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Touch-Starved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*WRITTEN IN PRESENT TENSE*</p><p>Me, writing this: Eh, it’ll be about 1,000 words<br/>Me, about to post this: 😀</p><p>Welcome back and enjoy!</p><p>💖</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko skips his first class on Monday and heads straight to Winchester Dining Hall, his and his friends’ favorite place to eat on East Campus. He knows Aang and Katara have classes on North Campus, so it’ll take them a bit to get to Winchester after their classes end.</p><p>But Toph doesn’t have any classes until after two, so she comes to hang out with Zuko and get some work done. When she arrives, she lets Zuko give her guide dog, Appa, a few kisses and pets.</p><p>“Glad you got the good table,” Toph says, sitting across from him. She snaps up her probing cane and stuffs it into her backpack.</p><p>“You know I can’t stand not being near a wall.”</p><p>“Yeah, we get it,” Toph says with a small snort. “You’re a bonafide wallflower.”</p><p>Zuko can’t help but smile because, well, it’s true. “Yup. That’s me. Anyway, I was gonna get some coffee, you want any?”</p><p>Toph raises a brow and says, “I can smell the coffee on your breath, Zuko. What is that? Your third cup?”</p><p>Zuko laughs dryly. “Very funny.”</p><p>“Hilarious.” Toph smirks. “Anyhow, I’d love a black coffee with loads of sugar, please. And a few ice cubes. ‘Cause why not?”</p><p>Zuko cringes comically at the request. “Such a chaotic order. But it’s coming right up.”</p><p>Zuko grabs them coffee, and when he gets back to the table, he isn’t expecting Toph to ask about Sokka so soon. He’s glad he’s sitting with his coffee already on the table because otherwise, he may’ve dropped it.</p><p>“So,” she says, “how’d your brunch date with Katara’s brother go?”</p><p>“Sokka?”</p><p>Toph smirks again, but this time it’s knowing and playful. “Yes, with Sokka.”</p><p>Zuko swallows thickly and takes a few sips of his coffee before answering. “Um. Well. He’s nice.”</p><p>“And that’s it?”</p><p>“We haven’t really . . . talked since then,” Zuko says with a shrug. “I mean, I got his number. And he’s really sweet, and there’s really nothing wrong with him, but . . . I don’t know. You know I don’t <em> usually </em> do romance.”</p><p>“Yes,” Toph says dryly. “How could I forget? You? Zuko? Not subject to romance and wooing? What a surprise.”</p><p>“Respectfully, I’m giving you the middle finger.”</p><p>“Thanks for the closed captioning,” Toph says, raising both of her middle fingers in response.</p><p>Zuko snorts softly.</p><p>“Okay, but . . ?” Toph trails off, tilting her head down for emphasis. “What’s the deal, kid? You datin’ or not?”</p><p>Zuko sighs and then purses his lips. “I don’t know. Wouldn’t that be weird?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because he’s Katara’s brother?”</p><p>“So?”</p><p>“So . . . it’s weird.”</p><p>“No, not really. I don’t think it is,” Toph says, nonplussed. “Besides, you should go on another date with him. To see if you actually like him or if it was just a fling. Or fleeting. Whatever.”</p><p>Zuko squirms. “Yeah, but . . . I don’t know.”</p><p>“You <em> definitely </em> know,” Toph says. She softens her tone so she doesn’t sound accusatory. “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? He says he doesn’t wanna go on another date?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Okay . . ? But then he’d still be a good friend,” Toph reasons. “You know, Sokka’s a good person. He wouldn’t <em> not </em> wanna be your friend.” She pauses to take a few sips of coffee. “And, well . . . I’m probably not even supposed to tell you this, but he told me he thought you were cute.”</p><p>Zuko chokes on his coffee. “I’m sorry, come again?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Toph says, blinking. “I mean, a lot of people think you’re attractive, Zuko.”</p><p>Zuko feels himself turning red. “Okay. You can stop.”</p><p>“No, seriously,” Toph says. Even though Zuko isn’t looking at her, he can hear the smile in her voice. “They may not say it to me directly, but I can hear it in the way they talk about you. Maybe they just respect you, but I don’t know. Anyway! Sokka definitely told me he thought you were cute, so you should call him. Text him. Whatever.”</p><p>Zuko bites on his bottom lip, mind racing. “Okay, but . . . Okay. Maybe.”</p>
<hr/><p>Zuko’s text to Sokka gets him invited to another party at Pi Kappa.</p><p>So Zuko wants to be optimistic, he really does. He wants to take one of the very few good things the universe has given him and run with it, but what happens when the good thing turns into a bad thing?</p><p>Although Zuko highly doubts Sokka would turn into “a bad thing,” his shitty childhood won’t let him think about anything <em> but </em> the worst-case scenario. Daydreaming about “the good” was a luxury he hadn’t really been able to afford, unfortunately.</p><p>Zuko’s mind starts to wander about the possibilities of dating Sokka, about being exclusive, but it doesn’t help that he’s currently fucked up and can’t think straight — can barely <em> see </em> straight.</p><p>“Yo, Zuko?” Aang asks, grabbing his shoulder. “You good?”</p><p>Zuko blinks and comes back to himself. Well, as much as he can when he’s five drinks away from blacking out.</p><p>He focuses on Aang’s searching eyes and then looks around the frat basement. Their friend group is by one of the windows because it’s hot as fuck, and everyone’s disgustingly damp, and Zuko wonders, briefly, where Sokka is.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry,” Zuko says, struggling to keep his eyes open.</p><p>Aang giggles at his drunk expression, and Zuko laughs back until it turns into an honest-to-God giggle.</p><p>“Ayyy, there we go,” Aang says, shaking Zuko by the shoulder. “Come on . . . What’s got you spacing out, my dude?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Zuko mumbles, but Aang reads his lips. By now, the two of them are used to talking to each other when they’re somewhere that’s playing loud music. “I’m just . . . thinking about Sokka, you know?”</p><p>Aang waggles his eyebrows, and Zuko rolls his eyes at him.</p><p>“Go and find him,” Aang says, taking a swig of his beer. “Fuck, this shit is nasty. I miss my Jell-O shots, man. Anyway, go and find him. He’s not that hard to find. You want moral support? ‘Cause I got your back.”</p><p>Zuko smiles into his drink. “No, I’m good. I’ll just ask Katara where he is.”</p><p>“Hey, Katara!” Aang shouts, beating Zuko to the punch and getting his girlfriend’s attention first. She turns around, arm still resting on Toph’s shoulder. The glitter on her cheeks sparkles in the strobing lights. “Where’s your brother at? Zuko’s a man on a mission.”</p><p>Katara gives them a dubious look because she’s the more sober of the three, but she acquiesces and says, “I thought I saw him go upstairs. He’s probably playing pool. Why?”</p><p>Zuko feels his heart skip a beat, and he struggles to find the right words despite how fucked up he currently is. “I mean, you know we went on that . . . date. That . . . brunch thing.”</p><p>Katara raises a brow, smirking. “Yes? And?”</p><p>Zuko’s throat feels dry, but he says, “I don’t know. I kind of like him. But I’m freaking out because I’m a senior, and all good things come to an end, and I may or may not die alone. I thought I could have a cute, little romance this year. Like a cute, little ‘hehe, I have a boyfriend’ moment, but it just hit me that we’re all graduating, and leaving, and we’ll probably never see each other again, and I don’t even know if Sokka’s into being exclusive. Also, there’s all this talk about dating to marry, and—”</p><p>“Alright,” Katara says, gently cutting him off and taking his drink. She pours it out the cracked open window. “That’s enough for you.”</p><p>“And I don’t wanna mess up our friendship,” Zuko finishes with a small pout. “With you or Sokka. He’s a nice person. He sends me funny memes.”</p><p>“Seriously, Zuko.” Katara grabs his shoulder and looks him dead in the eye. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but my brother has had the <em> fattest </em> crush on you. Go and talk to him.”</p><p>“Yeah, <em> and </em> he thinks you’re cute,” Toph says. “Don’t forget that. Work with it. Work <em> it. </em> Be yourself. Love yourself.” She waves a hand, taking a sip of her drink. “And all that gooey, mushy, positive bullshit.”</p><p>Zuko nods to himself. “Okay. Yeah. I can do this. He likes me, so I shouldn’t have to worry about anything. Or rejection.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Katara says, steering him toward the stairs. “Now, go! Achieve your dreams. Oh, and drink some water while you’re at it. And text me if you need anything.”</p><p>Zuko gives a thumbs up and then leaves, walking up the stairs. They’re near the back of the house, so he passes the concrete patio where everyone’s smoking. He continues upstairs until he’s on the main floor, and he wanders through the open rooms, trying not to stare at couples who’re in rather “cozy” positions on the furniture.</p><p>When he gets to the main living room, he sees the back of Sokka — and, yes, he’s playing pool, being loud, and laughing.</p><p>Zuko fixes his black band T-shirt and then takes out his phone. He uses Snapchat to smudge his eyeliner a bit more, and then he puts his phone away and clears his throat, approaching Sokka with a newfound confidence.</p><p>That confidence, however, is immediately shattered when a girl with short, light brown hair charges Sokka and then jumps on him, hugging him from behind.</p><p>It takes Drunk Zuko a few seconds to process what he’s seeing because he’s focusing on Sokka’s laugh — a clear and deep booming sound that makes his stomach churn with butterflies. But the butterflies turn into a much more sour feeling as Sokka manhandles the girl, setting her on her feet and then leaning on her shoulder.</p><p>It’s such a . . . friendly, <em> intimate </em> gesture. Zuko blinks at how casually they’re just <em> touching </em> each other, <em> leaning </em> into each other.</p><p>And then Zuko wants to laugh because this is, of course, hilarious.</p><p>He assumes the girl is just a close friend, but it still hurts because his fucked up mind takes him somewhere dark first: if Sokka <em> actually </em> liked him, he would’ve been publicly affectionate with him by now, like he’s being with the girl. If Sokka actually liked him, and was serious about dating him, he would’ve made his move by now, right? He would’ve texted Zuko about it, would’ve asked him out on another date.</p><p>Zuko watches as the girl digs her fingers into Sokka’s side, making him giggle. It makes him nauseous to watch, but it’s like witnessing a trainwreck — he can’t look away.</p><p>Zuko’s throat feels dry all of a sudden, and he struggles to get his racing thoughts under wraps, but it’s nearly impossible when he’s inebriated.</p><p>And despite Katara having told him that her brother literally has a crush on him, Zuko can’t help but think Sokka has just been playing him this whole time. Well, “this whole time” being a week, but it still feels like the longest week of Zuko’s life, and he’s—</p><p>Yeah.</p><p>He decides that this is absolute <em>ass.</em></p><p>It’s like a Greek tragedy in less than a thousand words, and the irony and humiliation, even if Zuko is the only one who knows about it, makes him very, very angry and upset.</p><p>Oh, and bitter.</p><p>Overall, not a very good combination when he’s drunk.</p><p>Zuko is about to turn around and walk back to his dorm, which is literally miles away, but Sokka glances over his shoulder and does a double-take when he notices Zuko glaring at him.</p><p>Sokka blinks, caught off guard.</p><p>And because Zuko doesn’t look away, he witnesses the second things click together for the brunette because he chokes out a rushed apology to the girl and then detaches himself from her. Sokka puts his cue stick down and starts toward the other boy, but Zuko’s already walking away from the living room.</p><p>“Zuko! Hey!” Sokka catches up to him and grabs his arm, turning him around. They’re now in the hallway where it’s less crowded. “Dude, I’ve been looking all over for you.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure.” Zuko scoffs, shrugging away from him. “You were looking <em> so </em> hard.”</p><p>Sokka’s face pinches together nervously. “Dude, seriously, that’s my ex-girlfriend. You don’t have to worry about anything.”</p><p>“Who said I was <em> worrying </em> about anything?”</p><p>Zuko isn’t one for confrontation when he’s sober, but when he’s drunk?</p><p>Hooo, boy.</p><p>It’s not a good time.</p><p>Katara is ninety percent of his filter when he’s drunk, so without her, he says some pretty dumb shit. And Zuko doesn’t even <em> want </em> to think about the fact that the clingy girl was Sokka’s ex. Because to Zuko, that just makes everything ten times worse. But, of course, he thinks about it anyway because he’s angry and drunk, and the negative, venomous thoughts start to multiply at an alarming rate.</p><p>“Dude, calm down,” Sokka says, his voice laced with concern. “We should talk about this later when you’re less drunk. Please.”</p><p>“You know, I thought you liked me,” Zuko says, clearly not thinking straight. “Toph told me you thought I was cute, and your sister told me you’ve had a ‘fat’ crush on me.” At Sokka’s surprised expression, Zuko icily adds, “Yeah, I know. I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not.”</p><p>Zuko tries to leave, but Sokka grabs him again, jumping to stand in his way. His baseball cap nearly falls off, so he quickly fixes it.</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sokka says, laughing nervously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>“That you weren’t serious,” Zuko says, jerking out of his hold again. He hiccups and then covers his mouth as he burps. “About anything. And just so you know, I’m fucking great at pool, so it’s your loss.”</p><p>“Zuko, seriously, you’re jumping to conclusions,” Sokka says, using his hands to talk. “I <em> do </em> have a crush on you, and I <em> do </em> think you’re cute. That girl, Suki— We broke up sophomore year, but we’re still close friends because we grew up together and didn’t wanna <em> not </em> be friends anymore, you know?”</p><p>Zuko purses his lips and crosses his arms, looking to the side.</p><p>Sokka sighs and asks, “Do you want some . . . water?”</p><p>Zuko really wants to say ‘no’ or ‘fuck off,’ but he’s <em> just </em> sober enough to come to the conclusion that if he leaves Sokka tonight without having fixed things, he’ll go back to his dorm tonight and cry about it, and then the rest of his senior year will turn into a turmoil of ‘what could’ve been.’</p><p>So Zuko looks up at Sokka and says, “Yes. I would like some water.”</p>
<hr/><p>So that’s how Zuko finds himself in Sokka’s room ten minutes later, on his raised bed and drinking from a pail of water. Sokka told him he used it for personal jungle juice yesterday, but he promised it was clean and ready to be used again. Zuko thought the pail was a little excessive, but it’s slowly growing on him — even if he does look a little weird drinking from it.</p><p>He kicks off his black Vans and leans against the wall by the head of the bed, surrounded by a couple of pillows. Sokka sits adjacent to him, leaning against the other wall because his bed is in a corner. The only source of light is coming from LED strip lights around the room, and they’re gently transitioning through the colors of the rainbow. And even though the music is muffled, Zuko can still feel it three floors up, the bass thrumming through the walls.</p><p>Zuko takes a few more sips of water before clearing his throat. He locks eyes with Sokka, and the brunette shifts so he’s sitting up a bit straighter.</p><p>“So,” Zuko says, looking down at his pail. “You <em> do </em> think I’m cute.”</p><p>Sokka makes a weak sound, trying not to laugh. “That’s all you got out of that conversation?”</p><p>Zuko smiles briefly, but there’s a nagging feeling in his chest. It’s been a hot second since their sort-of-argument, and the anger from before has definitely turned into guilt, but Zuko doesn’t want to just roll over and admit he may’ve been wrong. Sure, he’s the smartest person in his major, and he understands the importance of open communication and all that wonderful stuff — but it’s all so academic and ideal, and it really only makes sense to him on paper. He’s never had to apply such techniques to real life situations because he’s never <em> been </em> in these kinds of situations.</p><p>Zuko bites by the bullet anyway by addressing something Sokka said earlier; “I <em> do </em> jump to conclusions.” He grumbles the words, and they’re mostly to himself, but he figures Sokka can still hear him.</p><p>“Dude, it’s fine,” Sokka says, unfolding his legs. He leans over and grabs Zuko’s calves, and Zuko sputters weakly as Sokka unfolds his legs and puts them over his own. “Besides, you’re cute when you’re jealous.”</p><p>Zuko is 99.99% sure his heart is going to explode.</p><p>He wouldn’t say he’s touch-starved, per se, but—</p><p>Actually, yeah, he’ll admit he’s touch-starved, and <em> this </em> feels like a whole other level of intimacy he’s never experienced in his twenty-two years of being alive.</p><p>But then Sokka’s words catch up to Zuko’s racing mind, and he blinks a few times. “I— I’m not jealous. I wasn’t jealous.”</p><p>Sokka hums sarcastically, leaning his head against the wall. He looks at Zuko down his nose, jaw tilted up, and Zuko’s gaze flickers to the exposed space between Sokka’s jaw and shirt, the smooth expanse of his neck.</p><p>Zuko swallows thickly, looking back up to meet the brunette’s lazy, unbothered stare.</p><p>“Okay, whatever you say,” Sokka says, throwing up a hand. “But just so it’s clear . . . Yes, I <em> do </em> think you’re cute, and, yes, I <em> have </em> had a crush on you. I still do.” Sokka shrugs and smiles. “Sounds stupid because we’re basically adults, but yeah. Oh, and you’re not just cute. You’re pretty hot, not gonna lie.”</p><p>Zuko laughs nervously and looks down, scratching at his face. He starts saying a few things, but he keeps trailing off and choking on his words, so he just stops talking altogether. He gives it a few seconds before looking at Sokka again.</p><p>The brunette is just smiling, brows raised in a fond expression.</p><p>“My sister wasn’t supposed to tell you that,” Sokka says, glancing up at the strip lights. “About my ‘crush’ on you. But she must’ve had a good reason for it . . . Were <em> you </em> having a crisis about confronting me? Because God knows I was. Honestly, maybe that’s why she told you.”</p><p>Zuko is so nervous about this conversation because he doesn’t want to screw it up, so he thinks about his next words carefully.</p><p>He’s also starting to sober up, thankfully, and the water is helping, but that also means he’s becoming more and more aware of what he just did a few minutes ago — and it’s pretty embarrassing. It almost makes him wish he’d blacked out, but he knows that’s not a particularly healthy way to deal with his problems.</p><p>After Zuko gathers his thoughts, he says, “I like you and . . . want to date you.”</p><p>It’s not the most eloquent way of phrasing it, Zuko thinks, but it’s simple and clear.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sokka says, voice light. “That sounds cool. I— Yeah. Sure. I’m down.”</p><p>“Okay, then,” Zuko says, nodding to himself. He takes a few more sips of water from his pail. “Yes. We’re dating now.”</p><p>When Zuko looks at Sokka’s face again, the LED lights transition from blue to red, and Zuko feels something twinge in his chest. His fingers twitch on the pail of water in his lap, and he glances down at his legs when Sokka thumbs over his shin. The sensation is muted because of his jeans, but the brunette moves over to the rip in his jeans, by his knee, and wiggles the tip of his index finger under the fabric.</p><p>Zuko is pretty sure his face is the color of a tomato, and he clenches his jaw so he doesn’t make a weird sound.</p><p>He watches Sokka’s finger move under his jeans, up his thigh. To anyone else, the gesture may look simple, but to Zuko, it’s . . . affectionately possessive — and Sokka’s single finger feels like a million degrees against the flesh of his thigh.</p><p>Sokka moves his left hand so it rests against Zuko’s exposed ankle, and he thumbs over the skin there too.</p><p>Zuko opens his mouth to say something, but he exhales shakily, heart in his throat. He doesn’t know how to explain (without ruining the moment) that in his family, affectionate touching didn’t exist until his parents got divorced when he was eighteen. He knows he’s been touch-starved, and he’s always thought of it as a running, dark joke, but now that he knows what he’s been missing out on . . ?</p><p>It makes his chest ache with want.</p><p>“Is this okay?” Sokka asks.</p><p>When Zuko looks at him again, he wants to move forward, but the pail stops him.</p><p>Before Zuko can even ask, Sokka takes the pail from him, opens his window, and swiftly dumps the water out. He throws the pail back into the room and turns back to Zuko, but Zuko is one step ahead of him, moving his legs under his ass so he can scoot forward.</p><p>He reaches out and then second-guesses himself, about to retreat, but Sokka grabs one of his wrists. When they look at each other this time, they’re much closer than before, and Zuko can hear Sokka breathing.</p><p>“This is fine,” Zuko says, throat feeling dry all of a sudden. “But . . . Can we just take it slow? Or, well, slower than usual?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, sure. But personally, I didn’t wanna have sex tonight. And if we’re gonna have sex, I’d rather you be, like, twenty percent more sober, you know?”</p><p>“What?” Zuko asks, confused. “No, I was talking about kissing.”</p><p>Sokka’s eyebrows knit together. “What’re you talking about?”</p><p>“I’m a virgin. For, like, everything. Including kissing.”</p><p>Sokka blinks a few times, expression softening in understanding, and Zuko feels himself turning even redder than before. When Sokka’s cheeks puff out, trying to contain his laughter, Zuko rolls his eyes and tries to pull away — but Sokka won’t let him.</p><p>“No, no, no,” Sokka rushes to say. “I’m not laughing because I think it’s funny. I’m just surprised. I mean, you’re—” Sokka gestures at the other boy vaguely, looking him up and down.</p><p>“I’m <em>what?”</em> Zuko asks. He refuses to believe it sounds like a whine, but he’s so fucking embarrassed he feels like he’s going to roll over and die.</p><p>“Dude, you’re so <em> hot,</em>” Sokka says, grinning wide. “I mean, really? I thought you’d have, like, bodies on bodies. I promise this doesn’t change anything, though. Honest to God, I was just surprised.”</p><p>“You’re rude,” Zuko says, but there’s no malice in his voice. He moves closer to Sokka, and the brunette bends a knee so they can face each other better.</p><p>“If I’m rude, you’re a brat,” Sokka says.</p><p>Zuko thought he’d hate the way Sokka said that with a shit-eating grin, but he doesn’t. The changing LED lights cast colorful shadows over Sokka’s face and his half-lidded eyes, and Zuko feels compelled to reach out and touch him, so he does. He rests a hand on Sokka’s chest, just below his neck.</p><p>Zuko thinks it’s a little embarrassing, for the first touch to be so hesitant, but Sokka mirrors him and then moves his hand up Zuko’s throat. When he reaches the back of Zuko’s neck, he cards his fingers through the strands of black hair that are gathered in a small bun. Sokka pulls it out and smiles warmly as his hair falls around his shoulders.</p><p>And when Sokka tucks some hair behind his ears, Zuko’s breath hitches at the touch, and he smiles, glancing down.</p><p>“I promise kissing is easy,” Sokka says, scoffing a little. “There’s really no wrong way to do it. And just . . . lemme know if you’re not into it at any point, yeah?”</p><p>Zuko nods, so Sokka moves his hand from Zuko’s ear to his jaw and then leans in.</p><p>Zuko closes his eyes a little preemptively, but all is fine when Sokka kisses him a few seconds later. Zuko wants to focus on the chaste, warm touch of Sokka’s lips, on his breath, but Sokka moves his other hand up his thigh. Zuko is confused and nervous for a second, but Sokka only tugs on one of his jean loops.</p><p>Zuko thinks it’s a cute gesture until Sokka pulls on it harder, yanking him closer, and a few threads snap.</p><p>So maybe it’s less cute and more hot, but Zuko’s not complaining.</p><p>Not a bit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m gonna rant for a bit.</p><p>I’ve had such bad writer’s block ever since I finished my longfic, and it’s been *killing* me. I feel like this fic doesn’t match the previous one’s tone, but that’s okay! I think! I don’t know, but fuck it!</p><p>Anyway, I hope y’all enjoyed this. &lt;3</p><p>Now that I’ve established their relationship, I wanna do a bunch of cute shit with it. And I think I’ll start taking requests? If you guys wanna see them do anything -- from grocery shopping, to getting smoothies at 1 AM, to going to a themed party -- lemme know here or on my Tumblr.</p><p>🟠 <a href="https://linktr.ee/cass1997">link to all my stuff</a> 🟠</p></blockquote></div></div>
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